Posada #2 & #3 Cont.

Here are a few pictures from the Posadas

Life Lesson #2

Don't leave a 10 1/2 month old in the bathroom by himself for even 10 seconds once he figures out how to open and close things. Water is very fun to play with, especially when you can reach it...like in the toilet! GROSS!!!!!!!!!

Posada #2 & #3

Jaden went to another Posada at San Pablo on Wednesday and one in Mexico on Thursday. A few things were different, a lot of things the same. Here are some pics....

This is the Posada song....or at leat a part of it. This is the song that gets repeated at every house along the way.

This is one of my favorite songs that the marachi does for Christmas. It's not so traditional but it's really fun.

it's taking forever to upload these videos so I'm goign to have to finish tomorrow...

Life Lesson #1

Okay - so this isn't the first lesson I've ever learned in life...but it is the first one that I'm blogging about. Thanks to the idea from a friend. I guess this way we'll keep count of the dumb things I do (at least, the ones I'm willing to tell you about!)

Lesson #1 DON'T rip a hole in the bag of dried beans before you get over the bowl you want to dump them into!

Good thing the floor was clean!

First Posada (play by play)

Jaden went to his 1st Posada yesterday (OUTSIDE of the womb that is). Posadas are the topic of my MA Thesis so I've been doing some research. One person told me tonight, "Oh, nice choice of a Thesis topic! For research you just HAVE to go to a bunch of PARTIES!!!" Of course, a posada is much more than just a party. For the WHOLE story you'll have to read my thesis (WHEN it gets done of course). But, for a brief description, here you go....

First Posada

At the party, the mariachi played. They played Jaden's favorite song. He can't help it. It's in his blood. He just HAS to dance!

Getting Around and around...and around....and around....

We are keeping busy. Jaden keeps being as cute as ever. He LOVES playing with Grandma! I'm getting lots of things done, but kinda miss just hanging out with the little guy! Here is a bit of what we have been up to the last few days....I still have catching up to do from when my dad was here...but we'll get to it sometime!!

Jaden has found a new way to get around.

The first time he tried it, one of the brakes on the stroller was locked so he LITERALLY got around - and around - and around - and around. I think he was doing it for at least 5 minutes before I got the camera out. As you can see, he ended up a bit dizzy!

But he is fearless. About 10 seconds later, he was back up for more!

Here is a fun picture of us at Roble's (a local Mexican Restaurant). Daddy and Jaden were having fun entertaining each other!

Jaden has been hanging out a lot with Grandma these last few weeks and, like Grandmas do - she's been finding some fun toys for him. We happend across this Rudolph on sale and she had to get it. He sings and his nose lights up with you press his ear. Jaden likes him a lot and claps every time Rudolph sings. But, Rudolph is also nice and soft and makes a good partner for a nap.

Awwww....

Tonight, as Jaden was playing just across the room I couldn't believe how different he looked. With his hair getting longer and as he does more and more things, I realized that he looks OLDER. I don't know if this picture captures whatever I saw that made me nostalgic for his 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, even 9 month days...but it sure is a cute one!

Pumpkin Update

Okay everyone....so thanks for all of the wonderful ideas for pumpkin! I just wish I had enough time to actually MAKE all of those yummy things!!! Really, these days I'm not making ANYTHING. My mom has been here and has been doing the cooking (and pretty much everything else!!!) while I study. I just have a few days left of her help so I have to take advantage of it and get as much done as possible! That also explains the slacking on the blog entries!

Anyway....I thought I'd throw out a little update...I did make Pumpkin Waffles. Nutty Pumpkin Waffles with Pumpkin Maple Sauce to be exact. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Nutty-Pumpkin-Waffles/Detail.aspx TRUST me...they were GOOD!!!!!!!! Some of the comments on the recipe say to forgoe the sauce - but DON'T - it is SO good!!!

Even the toughest critic liked them. But, lest you think I am a terrible mother for giving my child something so wierd....his didn't have nuts or syrup...just think of all of the wonderful things he has to look forward to! :-)

10 months

So, today was Jaden's 10 month birthday. I can't believe that 10 months has gone by this fast and I can't believe how much he is learning and doing every day.

Here was a picture from today....
For example
Yesterday we came out to the living room in the morning. Jaden loves to pull ALL (or at least MOST) of his books off of the shelf. Every once in a while we get through a whole book when we read but most of the time it is more like 5 pages or less. Since he was pulling all of the books off of the shelf I asked him if he wanted to read, picked up a book, and began reading it to him. When it was finished I asked him if he wanted to read more. He has learned the sign language for "MORE" but has only ever used it in relation to food. He signed more to my question so I said, "can you bring me a book?" and pointed to the pile that was across the room. He looked at me, looked at the books, crawled over, picked one up, and crawled back to me holding it out. We read that whole book. Again I asked "do you want to read more?" He signed more, so I said "okay, can you bring me a book?" this time without pointing. He looked at me, looked at the books, went and got one and brought it over. We repeated this FIVE times! Not only did he bring the book each time but we read the WHOLE THING each time! I couldn't believe it.

Another example. I guess Jaden is learning to shake his head NO. We try not to use the word "no!" too much but, there are few key things that we have been teaching him. Like...
-no, you can't play with the electrical outlet.
- no, you can't pull the lever on the water cooler and dump water all over the kitchen floor.
- and no, the roll of toilet paper is not a toy.
well, yeseterday he was in the bathroom and my mom was in there. He was playing with a few toys in the dry bathtub but, then, he looked at the roll of toilet paper, looked at my mom, and shook his head. Then he would go back to playing....then look at the toilet paper, look at my mom and shake his head no. I guess he gets it! Of course, it's important to note that when he shakes his head it is hilarious. It's like the whole upper 1/3rd of his body shakes, not just his head!

He's also trying to put big Legos together, he walks behind his Tonka truck, and Stephen is SURE that he repeated "garbage truck" this morning as they watched out the window. Probably something a little more like "ga-a uk" but it was pretty close!

As for me, I'm just trying to figure out where the time has gone. I look at pictures from even a month or so ago and can't believe how little he was. I can't imagine him any other way than how he is right now but I also remember thinking that a couple of weeks ago when he couldn't do all of these things yet, or when he was tiny and couldn't even sit yet. One thing I know for sure, he has me hooked.

The Singing, Guitar Playing Baby

I don't know why this one didnt' get posted the other day when I uploaded the video- but here it is now....


What can I say - he's multitalented....

Pumpkin

So, I got a free pumpkin. I decided to go ahead and cook it so I could use it for something. Here's the process.....

Raw - waiting to go in the oven (after getting covered with foil)

Cooked

Pureed

and bagged - 8 cups to be exact (and enough leftover to see if Jaden likes pumpkin tomorrow).


My only question.....NOW WHAT??????

I'm thinking of trying to make Pumpkin Empanadas.

Any suggestions????? We're tired of pumpkin pie.

Jaden's 1st Dance

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Too Long

So, I'm working on catching up on just about everything! I guess it is the time of year to try to tie up loose ends before getting busy with Christmas FUN! :-) My parents are there this week (and my mom for 2 more after that) so we are having fun with them. I am also taking advantage of Jaden having some "Grandparent Time" so that I can make some serious progress on my MA research! I need to get A LOT done in the next 2 weeks to even have a SHOT at graduating!!! But, in the meantime, I thought those of you who tell me you are ALWAYS checking the blog to see if there are new pictures of Jaden would appreciate an update! I hope this makes you smile!

Jaden plays with one of the coolest toys ever....a big new box from G&G K!

Last Monday I had to go to Mexico the help out a Servant Event group. I thought I was going to have to translate. It was I good thing that I didn't because I don't think Jaden would have made it the whole day! The house where the group was holding an eyeglasses clinic is VERY small and their yard is dirt and there are a ton of dogs. SO, he couldn't just crawl around on the ground (even though he REALLY wanted to!) He did have fun playing in the back of the truck for awhile. This marks Jaden's 2nd International Adventure. We'll be going back to on Saturday!

Apparently Jaden worked up a good appetite in Mexico because that night, boy was he hungry! Eating beans was QUITE an adventure this night. He got GOOD and dirty! But boy, were those beans YUMMY!!!

Beans over here, beans over there, beans in the hair, beans EVERYWHERE!!!

And, I guess since he was SO happy after eating beans to his tummy's content....I FINALLY got all he has learned on camera! He says, here are my tricks everyone!!!!

This past weekend Jaden got a new toy from G&G H. He's been having fun with it ever since! It is a truck that he can ride, walk behind, and play with. So far he mostly likes the wheels. Of course, that is true of everything...wheels on Great-Grandma V's walker, wheels on the stroller, wheels on the train toy, wheels on the push car, wheels on the car and truck..........

He did let Grandma K push him around a bit though!

So far, he can't quite keep up with it walking but, he has stood up next to it a few times, and he has been pushing it while crawling. I think he's getting the hang of it!

Of course, the Grandparents from up north had to bring a fun ski hat! It's starting to get cold in El Paso (there may even be snow by Sunday) and there are many more options for cool hats up north than here. SO, here is the little man getting ready for winter in his crazy hat!

I couldn't help it.....It's just too funny!

What do you think? Cute? Cool? Crazy?

Daddy seems to like it - but he did say...."when he goes to school you have to dress him cool." I said, "so, is this cool?" Daddy's response...."No, this is 'make fun of the white kid with the wierd hat!'" Hmmmm...... So, does that mean cute for a baby but not for an older kid?

Adventures in Eating

So, Jaden really enjoys his food these days! One thing he particularly loves doing when eating is biting the SPOON!

Also, one of his favorite new foods is Advocado! Here is one particularily messy day and the many faces of advocado!

Here we are, just doing our thing and playing. Notice Daddy's awesome tower in the left...WAY fun to knock over!!!

And this is me, just being cute! Of course, I would be cuter if mommy could have gotten the black bean juice off of my face after dinner...but, my bath was soon to come!

My Broccoli Baby

So, Jaden apparently LOVES broccoli! It is easy to get him to eat his vegetables!

Tonight, after getting very dirty with the broccoli Jaden got a little time to play with no shirt on! Boy, was he happy!

And, here's one of him the other day standing up after a diaper change. He likes to turn around and look out the window but this day he was trying to do it with NO HANDS!!!

Oh Well....

Even when I want him to sleep on his own....

This is nice too! :-)

This video is a little bit long but it's pretty funny if you want to see and hear Jaden "help" with the laundry and tell a story all at the same time!

Look, he likes to recycle too!!! Tell me, when he sees the dog, do you think he is saying "Jack" or "dog" we figure it is one of the two but we can't figure out if he actually says DOG or if he thinks a dog is actually called a Jack and says THAT when he sees other dogs too!

In other news, at 9 months (really...he's been alive as long as I was pregnant already?!?!?!?!)

- teeth 6 & 7 have made their appearance

- 20 lbs 11 oz, 28.5 inches tall

and a standing, laughing, chatterbox.

His new tricks are sticking out his tongue when you say, "Jaden where is your tongue?" Clapping his hands when you start singing "pat-a-cake" and throwing his hands up in the air when you say, "Jaden how big are you?....Sooooo big!" I'll try to get those on a video one of these days!

Catching Up: The Trip Up North

Arriving at the airport Jaden takes a look at Grandpa K. thinking...hmmm...I THINK you look familiar.... But, in true Jaden fashion, he warmed up quickly!

Of course, after all of that time cooped up in mommy's lap we had to take a little stroll. Jaden even stood while going down the escalator!

It was Grandpa K's birthday the day we arrived so we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. MMMMMmmmmmmm......Jaden didn't get cheesecake, but he did try rye bread and LOVED it!

He also ate more than his fair share of black beans!

Mmmmm....Cheesecake!!!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!!!

Back at the house we had a little time to play before bed!

The next day cousin Melanie came to visit and play!

Jaden had many firsts on this trip....this was his first time with his very own toothbrush! Mommy was TIRED of getting her finger mashed while brushing Jaden's teeth with the washcloth! He LOVES brushing....and drools ALL OVER THE PLACE while doing it too!

Jaden has been a bit of a crazy sleeper lately. This day he fell asleep in mommy's arms and proceeded to flip himself around in order to bury his nose in the crook of her elbow....apparently he doesn't care too much about fresh air!


Catching some zzz's in the car on the way to SD! We don't have a picture but technically this was the first time that Jaden saw snow...but it melted as it hit the ground and he slept through most of it...so I'm not totally sure that it counts!

We got to see Great Grandma & Grandpa Brandenburg!

And at Jerry & Arlene's Jaden got to ride his first trike! Jerry's dad had restored this from when Jerry was a kid. It was a little big. But, with grandpa's help Jaden had a great time!

Back and Great Grandma & Grandpa's the next day Jaden got to see Great Uncle Denny, Great Uncle DelRoy & Karen, and Great-great aunt's Dee, Verna, Lila, and Elizabeth

I LOVE this one!

here comes the tickle bug!

Isn't my highchair cool!!!!

Jaden also "played" pool for the first time! He had a good time pushing the cue ball into the hole!

Then we went to Great Aunt Nancy's for a while. She has this cool pumpkin that Jaden liked from a distance but wasn't quite so sure of up close.

with Great Aunt Nancy eating some crackers!

With Godmother Kayla!

And cousin Lanae

After we got back to MN MORE people came to visit! Keely and Mali came trick-o-treating early! Mali was a basket of blueberries! TOO CUTE!

And Keely was a beautiful Spider Fairy!

Great Aunt Karen was fun to play with too!

Jaden also learned to climb the stairs! He was SUPER fast at it right away! We don't have stairs at home so he had to get his practice in at Grandma's house!

This was one of his favorite new toys - even though he doesn't quite have it figured out yet!

Reading a book with Mommy...

Walking around the mall with Grandma

Checking out the Lobsters at Red Lobster with Grandpa!
The last night before returning home!

Playing in the fall leaves on the only day it was nice enough to go outside (the day we left!)

One last hug and a Halloween gift for the road!

WHEW....what an adventure! We didn't even get pictures of everyone we saw or everything we did! We sure missed Daddy but it was fun to see everyone!!! We hope we're back up there soon!